Post-mod is just a starting point

If anybody is amazed by the sleight-of-hand that yielded the music on Pop Levi’s debut, “The Return to Form Black Magick Party,” it’s the artist himself.

“I knew a song was finished when I said to myself, ‘I can’t believe it hasn’t already been written,’ ” the L.A.-based singer-guitarist says. “At times, I felt I was watching songs come true.”

The album, a saw-toothed blitz of psych, pop, blues and glam, was recorded in Levi’s native Liverpool, before he and his quartet took up residence on the West Coast. Both the music and the presentation are updates on ‘60s mod -- “Post-mod,” Levi says humorously, “also known as ‘flunk.’ ”

It’s a classic cut-and-paste of classic influences, from Dylan to Hendrix to Bolan, catchy and more than a little bit audacious. But if the first outing from the ex-Ladytron bassist seems bold, wait till you hear what he has in store for his sophomore effort.

“I want to make the first R&B; record by a Caucasian four-piece from Liverpool,” he says, detailing plans to take three months later this year to record in Hollywood. “I want to make a crucial dance record that sounds leagues from what any indie rocker would make -- I want it to sound like the noise coming from those BMWs cruising down Hollywood Boulevard on a summer night.”

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Pop Levi (opening for Mando Diao), the Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. 8 p.m. Tuesday. $15. (310) 276-6168; www.troubadour.com. Listen: www.myspace.com/poplevi.